Helping Manx farmers evolve and grow Agri- News - Isle of Man ...

Helping Manx farmers evolve and grow 

Agri-News 

May 2011 

Published by Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture 

Restructuring support agreed for 

Isle of Man Meats By Ed Clague, Agricultural Policy Manager 

Plans to restructure Isle of Man Meats 

have now been agreed by the company 

Directors and changes to the operations of 

the company are currently being 

implemented. Funding has been made 

available from the Agricultural 

Development Fund to assist the company 

during the restructuring period. 

A condition of the support, during this 

period of restructuring, is a review of the 

marketing structures and governance 

arrangement for marketing of meat. 

Anyone with relevant comments even on 

other agricultural commodities should 

contact Ed Clague at DEFA. 

In addition, Chris Kneale, the Department’s 

Agricultural Advisor, has been seconded to 

IoM Meats on a part time basis for three 

months. His role is to assist in developing 

the supply management of stock being 

presented to the company, ensuring that 

the plant can operate efficiently and meet 

its market demands. Chris will also be 

endeavouring to ensure that a good 

communication link is established between 

the plant and producers. 

Chris said “The supply chain is key, and 

this opportunity will allow me to gain a 

greater understanding of the issues 

affecting the red meat sector on the 

Island for both the producer and the 

processor. The recent video conference 

held with Alasdair MacLeod of Deloitte’s in 

New Zealand, who has just undertaken a 

major review of the NZ Red Meat sector, 

has further reinforced my confidence that 

we are on the right track and that 

producers who actively engage with their 

markets, supplying what they require and 

when they require it, will be rewarded.” 

Derogation ends. 

The European Commission has now 

confirmed that it will not extend the 

current derogation. In a letter to the 

Department, the Commission explained 

that, as the previous extension to the 

derogation had stated it was being 

extended for the last time, it would be 

inappropriate to extend the derogation any 

further. Please see page 2 for Minister’s 

Comments regarding the decision. 

Isle of Man Food and Drink guide 

By Kim Etherton, Project Officer 

The I Love Manx campaign will be 

launching the new updated version of the 

Guide to Isle of Man Food & Drink in June, 

a little later than planned so that all the 

restaurants which have gained 2011 

Harvest accreditation can be included. 

The Guide will feature new producers, 

major processors and information from 

retailers including supermarkets, farmers 

markets and farm shops. 

The guide will be distributed to all Island 

households and made widely available to 

visitors to the Island, for whom the 

opportunity to sample local produce is often 

an important aspect of their visitor experience. 

Index 

Issue 33 

Minister’s comments 2 

Isle of Man achieves Official 

Disease Free Status 3 

Receiving Agri News 3 

To the future and beyond 

with the DEFA Agricultural 

Advisory Service 4 

Countryside Care Scheme update 4 

New Regulations to allow the 

Shooting of Rabbits at night 5 

Look out for Dutch Elm Disease 

this Summer 5 

Beef Focus Event, Billown 6 

Wheat Growers of the 

Island Unite! 6 

Agri-Environment 

Consultation results 7 

Wool returns show a marked 

improvement 7 

Get Business Incubator (BIC) 

help with your delicious 

business idea 8 

2011 Isle of Man Food & 

Drink Festival 8 

Threat to Island’s Trees from 

Citrus Longhorn Beetle 9 

The Isle of Man Woodland Trust 9 

Changes at DEFA 10 

• Jo Brew – promotion 10 

• Farewell to Mike Caley 10 

• David Ronan moving on 11 

• Paul Reid moves to 

pastures new 11 

Dates for your diary 11 

Market trends 12

2 

“We cannot afford to relax or slip back into the old ways 

- all involved must seek to constantly improve and co-operate.” 

Minister’s comments 

Field of Rapeseed destined for Ellerslie Rapeseed Oil. Looking towards Onchan. 

Spring is a time of 

new beginning, fresh 

hope and new growth. 

Similarly for Manx 

Agriculture, I hope the 

recent endeavours by 

the Department, in 

cooperation with the 

industry, will create 

fresh hope and growth for farmers and 

processors too. 

Since I last had the opportunity to contact 

you, farming has rarely been out of the 

news, both locally and further afield. The 

restructuring at Isle of Man Meats has been 

significant, and to some painful, particularly 

those who have lost their jobs as a 

consequence. I’m also mindful that the 

new pricing matrix has been a challenging 

issue for many – though the significant rise 

in the value of “In-Spec” animals should be 

appreciated by most. I am convinced that 

the steps the industry has taken in recent 

weeks are the right ones. While there is 

absolutely no doubt that there will be 

challenging times ahead for Manx 

Agriculture, I firmly believe these actions 

will carry us towards a brighter future. 

Ultimately, it will be farmers, not 

Government, that deliver this bright 

future. Farmers and processors must 

work together for their common interests. 

The progress and achievements in the last 

six months have been greater than in the 

last six years. Clear signals are coming 

from the Meat Plant on market 

requirments. We cannot afford to relax or 

slip back into the old ways - all involved 

must seek to constantly improve and cooperate. 

It cannot be presumed that 

Government will automatically and 

indefinitely underwrite the meat plant. 

The ongoing provision of an Island meat 

plant is now largely the industry’s 

responsibility. 

The loss of the red meat derogation, 

though not unexpected, is a 

disappointment. This does not mean that 

we can no longer compete. We have a 

high quality product and a high value local 

market. We must avoid being defeatist 

and face these new challenges head on. 

If we adapt, I believe there are very 

substantial opportunities for the industry. 

In January, the Foresight Report, produced by 

John Beddingfield, the UK’s Chief Scientific 

Advisor said the case for urgent action in 

global food systems is now compelling. 

Referring to a “Perfect Storm”, Beddingfield 

identified that farmers must feed a growing 

population, using less water, less fuel and less 

land – all while adapting to climate change. 

In April, the World Bank called on the G20 to 

address the problem of food inflation. The 

Bank’s food price index increased by 15% 

between October 2010 and January 2011 

and was only just below its 2008 peak. 

It is sometimes tempting to dismiss these 

reports as issues for places far removed 

from the Isle of Man. Yet, we must 

recognise that even the smallest Manx 

farm is now affected by international 

markets. Our milk prices are dependent 

as much on the actions of New Zealanders 

as shoppers in our local stores. We have 

witnessed how conflict in the Middle East 

can force oil and fertilizer prices up and 

how cereal and feed prices can be 

affected by natural events in any of the 

four corners of the world. 

In the limited space I have available here, 

I cannot begin to give justice to the 

complexities and challenges you face or 

indeed the opportunities. Suffice to say I 

have full confidence in the industry’s 

abilities, and for as long as you are willing 

to work toward a brighter future, you 

have a Minister and a Department which 

is prepared to back you all the way. 

Finally I would briefly like to express my 

gratitude to Mike Caley and Paul Reid who 

have both left the Department for pastures 

new. Mike, who has accepted a new role 

at Isle of Man Farmers, was a well 

respected, hard working and long serving 

Field Officer whose work over the years 

will have a lasting legacy. Paul Reid, our 

Senior Business Analyst, was a lead 

member of DEFA’s team tasked with 

resolving issues at Isle of Man Meats. Paul 

now leaves DEFA to take the role of 

Finance Director at Isle of Man Meats. 

Mike and Paul’s departure is a significant 

loss for the Department, but fortunately 

also a substantial gain for the wider 

industry. 

John Shimmin MHK 

Minister 

Agri-News May 2011

3 

Isle of Man achieves Official Disease Free Status 

By Stuart Jaques, Director/Chief Veterinary Officer 

As the result of an extensive submission 

recently made to the EU, detailing our 

testing history over the last twenty 

years, a unanimous vote states the 

Island is to be declared as an officially 

Brucellosis and Enzootic Bovine Leucosisfree 

region of the United Kingdom. 

Historically, the last confirmed case of 

Brucellosis occurred in 1978, when an 

entire imported herd was destroyed. The 

Island further embarked on a blood 

testing programme for EBL in 1990; this 

resulted in the Island’s individual herds 

being classed as EBL free in 1994. 

Currently, dairy herds are tested through 

monthly bulk milk testing, and beef 

herds are blood tested every two years. 

It is intended to markedly reduce 

routine on farm blood sampling for 

EBL and Brucella – more details will 

follow once the Decision is published 

and the full range of options available 

are known. 

This decision opens the door for us to 

drive up our disease status further and 

exploit export opportunities based on 

quality stock, as occurred in the 1970s. 

While one option might be a Bovine Viral 

Diarrhoea (BVD) Scheme, no future 

voluntary eradication policies will be 

established without the prior 

consultation and support of the industry. 

Zwartbles originate from Holland and was first 

imported to the Island in 2003. Their name refers to 

their distinctive white blaze on their nose and they are 

a dual purpose breed - meat and milk. 

Receiving Agri News By Jo Brew, Field Service Delivery Manager 

The Department is reviewing the various 

ways by which it communicates with 

farmers and others with an interest in 

agriculture in the Isle of Man. There are a 

large number of forms and notices which 

relate to legal or contractual arrangements 

plus a number of publications such as Agri 

News and the newsletter (ASQ) published 

by the Agricultural Advisory team. You 

may be receiving some of these 

communications by email and some as 

hard copy through the post. 

All Government Departments are required 

to make further savings so we have been 

looking at ways to communicate as 

effectively with you but at a lower cost. 

By timetabling mail outs, we will be able 

to send out several necessary pieces of 

communication in one envelope, for 

example, Agri News plus ASQ. 

However, a major saving can be made by 

making more use of email and the DEFA 

website. Where we hold an email address 

for you, we would in future like to use this 

to communicate with you, including sending 

links to the DEFA website where you will 

find and can print-off copies of both Agri 

News and ASQ together with our Press 

Releases. We do however appreciate that 

you may have changed your email address 

since last giving it to us and you may prefer 

to receive certain publications in the post. 


February 2011 


Published by Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture 

There is no easy walk to freedom 

anywhere* By Stuart Jaques, Director/Chief Veterinary Officer 

Index 

While there is absolutely no doubt that Broadly speaking we see the roles of each 

there will be cha lenging times ahead for partner as fo lows: 

the livestock industry, we have taken the 

Isle of Man Meats: 

first steps towards a brighter future. The 

Countryside Care Scheme has brought the • To provide a meat plant that is as 

returns from the Meat Plant into sharp efficient as possible 

focus, by separating out the old subsidy • To fulfil local market needs and 

element; consequently the Plant’s Directors expectations, and profitable export markets 

have sought help from the government to • To provide industry leadership and a 

restructure the entire operation. 

marketing vision both locally and off-island 

It would obviously have been preferable to Government: 

have started this process two years ago and 

• To facilitate a market-led industry 

have more time to meet the cha lenges of 

• To support the Meat Plant while changes 

the likely total loss of Derogation; however, I 

are made to secure a sustainable future 

see that the current situation was probably 

• To negotiate interim support levels that 

needed, to drive changes in a system that 

provide sufficient return to the livestock 

has functioned pretty much unaltered for the 

industry while changes are made 

last twenty years (at least). 

Livestock Industry: 

I first discussed the evidence of a dire 

financial outlook for the plant as operated • To provide sufficient supply of 

then with the President and Vice-President marketable quality at the required time 

of Manx NFU at the Royal Manx 

• To embrace the changes required 

Agricultural Show. I must express the I do not believe that there was any way 

Department’s great appreciation for that any two parties of the three 

Howard Quayle and Ray Craine’s 

(Department, Manx NFU and the Directors) 

subsequent advice and the unstinting work could have agreed a solution in isolation 

of their secretary, Belinda Leach. The that would have met the needs of the third. 

Manx NFU have played an invaluable I hope that this wi l be the way in which we 

advisory role in ensuring the industry’s approach our cha lenges in future: there is 

interest was recognised and helped drive an obvious interdependent relationship 

forwards the group of a l three parties that between the three pi lars (legs?) of the 

culminated in the Directors appointing Mr industry - we wi l stand to lose a great deal 

Scott Baker. His role was to create a if we don’t work together! 

change plan, which wi l turn the Plant into 

(* quote: Nelson Mandela) 

a modern market focused business. 

Display your local food car 

sticker with pride! 

The ”I Love Manx” campaign is pleased to 

launch a new car sticker promoting 

“Think Local, Buy Local” which is 

available from the Welcome Centre, 

Farmers’ Markets, Manx NFU and DEFA. 

The colourful sticker aims to remind 

everyone of the great local food produced 

by the Island’s farmers and fishermen. 

With the strapline “Think local Buy local”, 

a great New Year’s resolution is to use 

loca ly produced food wherever possible – 

you will not only help the economy, but 

your use of local fresh, quality ingredients 

wi l make for a healthy and tasty New Year. 

Issue 32 


October 2009 


Published by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 

The Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival 

- Hailed a Great Success! 


Countryside Care Scheme update 3 

Pig Industry Restructuring 3 

CCS and semi-natural habitats 4 

Agri-Environment 

Scheme Consultation 4 

Seeing is Believing 5 

Manx Organic Network appoint a 

Manx Organic Food Coordinator 5 

New Guide to Isle of Man 

food and drink 5 

How the industry sees 

the future… 6-7 

• Laxey Glen Mills 

• The Outlook for 2011 

• 2011 A Year of Challenges 

• Dairying 2011 in the Isle of Man 

The Outlook for 2011 6 

2011 A Year Of Cha lenges 7 

Dairying 2011 in the 

Isle of Man 7 

What will DEFA be doing 

for Agriculture…? 8 

Isle of Man Food and 


Tomorrow’s Farmer Awards 9 

Why school meals are a 

great vehicle for promoting 

Manx produce 10 

Mal’s Butchers Ltd opens in 

Port Erin 10 

New Home for the Royal 

Manx Show at Knockaloe 11 

Recognising the wildlife benefits 

of farming organically 11 

Market trends 12 

By Audrey Fowler, Marketing Officer 

The first Isle of Man Food and Drink 

festival held at the Villa Marina was hailed 

a great success. 

Throughout the event, organised by DAFF 

and DTL, over 8,000 event goers sampled 

and bought a huge variety of local produce. 

A number of producers sold out on the first 

day and worked through the night to restock 

their stalls in time for opening the next day. 

Over the two days, visitors gleaned tips in 

the Manx Food Live Theatre, where The 

Hairy Bikers, local caterers and producers 

showed some of the best ways of cooking 

with Manx produce. 

Following the success of this year’s Food 

and Drink Festival, organisers are hoping 

to make it an annual event. 

Knockaloe Beef and Sheep event 

By Ed Clague, Agricultural Policy Manager 

On Tuesday 22nd September, 

benchmarking, Loaghtan trial results, milling 

approximately 60 people attended the wheat update, use of AI in the suckler herd, 

Knockaloe Beef & Sheep Focus event, for winter forage crops and the finishing steers 

an update on the progress of the trials and that were finished by 16 months of age at 

demonstrations that are currently under 290kg on grass. Also discussed was the use 

way at Knockaloe. 

and economics of different diets; and the 

outcomes of the ensuing performance of 

Attendees were updated on the Knockaloe 

early turnout and summer growth. 

Farm Strategy. They had the opportunity to 

look at the farm’s account; understanding If you would like to know more about the 

how, implemented changes, the impact of topics, a summary of the event is available 

rising costs, and the greater use of 

from Knockaloe. For more information 

contractors has affected the bottom line. please telephone 842335. 

Discussion points focused on several areas 

that included the importance of suckler cow 

Department of Agriculture 

DAFF Fisheries and Forestry 

Index 


Promar Dairy report. 3 

New blood to build on 

recent progress 3 

Thie Slieau Whallian update 3 

What has happened in the 

Lamb sector? 3 

Countryside Care Scheme News 4 

Organic Scheme changes 5 

Young tractor drivers 5 

Tomorrow’s Farmer Awards 6 

Outlook Meetings 2009 7 

Harvest Isle of Man 8 

The Nantwich International 

Cheese Show 2009 8 

Noble’s Hospital ‘Support your 

Local’ Food week 8 

Four new Manx products 

launched at Food and 


Boost for local food marketing 9 

Farmers’ Markets update 10 

Assessing lambs for 

better returns 10 

Hired Bulls and Disease Testing 10 

Fluke Monitoring: An Update. 10 

New Chief Veterinary Officer 11 

2.2% Pay Increase for 

Agricultural Workers 11 

Sawdust Offer and Free Wood 

Peelings from St Johns Sawmill 11 


DAFF Fisheries 



Published by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 

With the first Countryside Care payments 

made, subvention in place, tenancy 

legislation updated, marketing association 

structures modernised and a range of 

other initiatives now in action (such as 

beef contracts and support for marketing 

initiatives) the Department, farmers and 

processors have made tremendous 

progress in implementing the Policy for 

Manx Agriculture which was approved by 

Tynwald in April 2008. 

Efforts are now switching to implementing 

the other aspects of the plan. Seeking an 

extension to the red meat derogation and 

implementing a local food marketing plan. 

Page 3 lays out the key objectives for the 

next year. Genera ly, the Department’s focus 

moves from establishing a robust framework 

for the industry, to raising awareness and 

assisting farmers and processors to make 

the most of opportunities available. 

July 2009 

Future goals By Ed Clague, Agricultural Policy Manager Index 

Manx Food Fayre and 

Woodland Discovery Success 

DAFF was pleased to host the second Manx attended in a marquee in the gardens with 

Food Fayre and Woodland Discovery which surrounding activities. Using local produce 

was held at Garey ny Cloie Gardens on is so important, with rising fuel costs and 

Tynwald Day. Over a thousand people po lution it makes sense to buy local. This 

visited the event to find out more about event has firmly linked Manx food to our 

local produce. Top quality food producers national day. 

Phil Teare, Managing Director of Isle of Man Meats explains to a packed audience in the Cooking Theatre abou the top 

quality mea that we have on our Island. Kathryn Sentence i seen cooking Manx sirloin steak and horseradish sauce. 

Department of Agriculture 

and Forestry 


So what’s next . . . 3 

Countryside Care 

Scheme News 4 

Schemes Updates 5 

Thie Slieau Whallian update 5 

The future’s profitable; 

the future’s farming! 5 

DAFF Divisions on Show 6-7 

2009 Agricultural Shows 8 

Third Time Lucky for the 

Royal Manx? 8 

Tomorrow’s Farmer Award 9 

I Love ManxChef competition 

launched at Marks & Spencer 9 

Minister wants views on 

local food 9 

Chief Vet retires 10 

Reduced AI service charges 

for synchronised insemination 

of cattle 10 

Isle of Man Meat Company 

satisfies demand for meat 

during TT week 10 

Dutch Elm Disease Surveyors 

Out and About This Summer 11 

Stronger Powers to 

Protect Trees 11 

Live to Dead Workshops 11 


Show 

special 

If you suddenly stop 

receiving newsletters 

from July or you would 

prefer to receive hard 

copies, please let the 

Department know your 

preferences and/or your 

current email address by 

telephoning 685844 or 

sending an email to 

Agriculture@gov.im 

We will keep this matter 

under review, so do 

please let us have any 

comments or queries.

4 

To the future and beyond with the DEFA 

Agricultural Advisory Service By Chris Kneale, Agricultural Adviser 

In 2007/8 an Advisory Strategy was 

developed with the help of the Industry. 

In order to try to ensure the needs of the 

Agriculture and food industry are met. 

However a huge amount has changed in 

agriculture since 2008 however, and 

although intended as a forward looking 

document it is now time to review the 

strategy to ensure that it continues to 

meet the needs of the industry. With your 

help we need to re-establish our current 

and likely future needs. 

A number of meetings have been held with 

some of the Industry’s recognised producer 

and representative bodies to collect their views 

on trends, issues and future needs of the 

industry. These have all been collated and can 

be found at www.gov.im.defa/animals 

/advisory.xml. To assist us in developing 

the future advisory strategy we are looking 

for further comment on the current list and 

also your individual suggestions. 

So if you don’t know who we are, or what 

we do, tell us and tell us why. If you see 

an area of your business that is key and 

the Advisory service should be assisting 

you with more, tell us and tell us why. If 

you feel that in the future there is an 

issue or opportunity that we need to focus 

on now, then tell us and tell us why. Any 

feedback will be most welcome, remain 

confidential and importantly help us to 

help you. Further information can be 

found at www.gov.im.defa/animals/ 

advisory.xml or contact the Advisory 

Service on 685835. 

Countryside Care Scheme update By John Harrison, Field Officer 

Land declaration 

Following consultation with the industry 

an amendment to the Countryside Care 

Scheme was approved by Tynwald 14th 

December (Govt Circular No. 040/10). 

This amendment has clarified and 

simplified the deductions for misdeclaration 

of land. 

Eligible land 

Over declarations of eligible land of 3% or 

less than 2 acres no longer trigger a 

penalty deduction; the over claimed 

acreage is just not paid. 

For situations with a greater than 3% or 

more than 2 acres mis-declaration, payment 

is based on the actual eligible area of the 

holding plus a further deduction equivalent 

to twice the over declaration. 

The option for complete non payment 

is now no longer applicable to eligible 

land declaration. 

Total land at the claimant’s disposal 

The under or over declaration of more 

than 3% or 3 acres of land at the 

claimants disposal now triggers a 1% 

payment deduction. A mis-declaration of 

over 20% will trigger a payment 

deduction of 5%. 

Payment dates 

Further to an amendment approved by 

Tynwald, the Department will now 

endeavour to make a payment of 50% of 

the applicant’s estimated payment before 

the end of July and a further 25% by the 

end of October in each Scheme year. 

2010/11 Scheme year Cross 

Compliance inspections 

For the 2010 scheme year, seventy nine 

inspections were carried out with two 

triggered as the result of information 

received from a third party. Of the total 

number of inspections, 46% passed their 

inspection; 29% received warning letters 

(no deduction); 16% received a 0.75% 

deduction and 9% a 3.75% deduction. 

Of the 20 inspections which resulted in 

payment reductions, 14 were for non 

compliance with GAEC 13 Landscape, 

litter, waste and scrap; 1 was for non 

compliance with GAEC 14 Protection of 

Habitats; 4 were for non compliance with 

GAEC 16 Field Boundaries (two for hedge 

cutting after 1st March and one for the 

complete removal of a hedge); and the 

other was for non compliance with GAEC 

17 Encroachment of unwanted vegetation, 

injurious weeds. 

First cut silage 

Cattle Identification Inspections (CII) 

Thirty three CII inspections were carried out 

as part of the Countryside Care Scheme 

process and of these, 11 were compliant; 

12 received warning letters (no deduction); 

2 were given deductions of 0.5% and 8 

were given deductions of 0.75%. 

For all breaches noted after April 1st 2011, 

deductions increase to their final 100% value. 

Selection for inspection 2011 

scheme year 

The vast majority of the 80 farms that will be 

inspected during the coming scheme year will 

be farms not previously inspected, however a 

small number will be re-inspections. These 

will help to ensure on-going compliance. 

Scheme review 

The Countryside Care Scheme is due to be 

reviewed in 2012 and an e-mail address 

has been created to which suggestions for 

improvements to the scheme can be sent 

ccsreview@gov.im 


5 

New Regulations to allow the Shooting of Rabbits 

at night By Ed Clague, Agricultural Policy Manager 

New regulations to allow the shooting of 

rabbits at night will be laid before the May 

sitting of Tynwald. 

The issue of rabbit control was raised by 

the Manx NFU, which identified that the 

population, particularly in the north of the 

Island, had become excessive. “Breed like 

rabbits" is a common expression and 

rabbits are indeed prolific breeders. In 

one year, a doe can produce more than 20 

offspring and many of these will breed 

themselves when only four months old. 

Work was undertaken by Dr. Gordon McKillop 

at MAFF’s Central Science Laboratory in York 

in 1998 to monitor damage by rabbits. In 

enclosures that contained grass, each rabbit 

consumed about 130kg of the crop during 

the course of a year. That reduced the yield 

of a hectare of crop by 0.5% and meant that 

the estimated annual loss of productive 

forage from each rabbit was £2; it will be 

worth more now. Since wild populations 

of rabbits on grassland can exceed 50 

animals per hectare, the cumulative 

damage is extensive. 

Impact on cereal crops was higher. 

Though the loss to a hectare of spring 

barley caused by a single rabbit was also 

around 0.5% of the crop, barley’s higher 

value meant that this amounted to nearly 

£4 per animal. The worst victim of all was 

wheat: here the damage inflicted was 

£7.50 per rabbit per year; each animal 

reduced the yield of a hectare by 1%. 

Adjusted for today’s crop values, given 

that this work was carried out over twelve 

years ago, damage to a wheat crop could 

account for losses of 50% of crop value, 

estimated to be up to £865 per hectare. 

(£17.30 per rabbit each year). 

However, guns and shooting are emotive 

subjects in general and while the Isle of 

Man does not suffer from any meaningful 

misuse of firearms the sound of a gun 

discharging late at night may alarm 

members of the public. A public consultation 

identified safety as a paramount concern 

among those who responded. The new 

regulations are therefore strict. Night 

shooters must hold a Firearms Certificate 

endorsed by the Police for night shooting; 

the Police must be informed at least one 

hour before shooting commences; shooters 

must have experience of the land in day 

light; shooters must have permission to 

shoot on the land; weapons must be sound 

moderated and shooting parties are limited 

to a maximum of four people – of which 

only one active shooter is permitted in the 

party at any one time. 

Minister John Shimmin said “The new 

regulation allow farmers to control 

damaging pests. However, I am mindful that 

shooting, particularly at night is a 

contentious issue. These new regulations 

are intended for the genuine control of pests 

and not to enable recreational hunting at 

night. If this legislation is to be maintained, 

farmers and the shooting community alike 

need to ensure they behave legally, 

responsibly and respectfully”. 

Look out for Dutch Elm Disease this Summer 

By Doug Chalk, Arboricultural Officer 

As summer approaches, the Island’s elm 

trees will soon be in full leaf and, as 

temperatures rise, the elm bark beetle will 

become active once more. The elm bark 

beetle is the insect vector of Dutch elm 

disease. Due to DEFA’s annual control 

policy the Island has, to date, lost less 

than 1% of its approximately 250,000 elm 

trees. However it is important not to rest 

on our laurels. As part of the Dutch elm 

disease control initiative, landowners, 

farmers and the wider public who access 

the Manx countryside, are asked to look 

out for anything untoward in the health of 

the elms they encounter. Symptoms of 

elm disease include rapid wilting or 

Elm showing advanced infection 

from Dutch elm disease. Note 

sparse/yellowing foliage. 

yellowing of leaves. This very often 

appears in patches in the crowns of trees 

which otherwise appear green and 

healthy. In warm weather, these 

symptoms develop rapidly and a mature 

tree can die very quickly. It is therefore 

important that any suspect elms are 

reported to DEFA as soon as possible by 

contacting the Forestry, Amenity and 

Lands Directorate by telephone: 801263, 

by email: openelm@gov.im or via the 

new dedicated website: 

www.openelm.org.im to report any 

defective elms you may come across so 

that the necessary control measures can 

be implemented. With effective control, 

we can continue to tackle this virulent 

fungus that has the potential to decimate 

our broadleaf elm population. Your help 

is appreciated.

6 

Beef Focus Event, Billown By Andrew Macdonald, SAC Senior Agricultural Adviser 

On a bright spring day in the south, beef 

farmers from around the island came 

together to find out about and discuss ways 

forward for the beef industry. Kindly hosted 

by Geoff and Eric Taggart of Billown Farms it 

was great to see so many farmers in 

attendance, particularly given the fantastic 

weather, showing how much interest there is 

in developing the island’s beef production. 

The day kicked off with Matie Viljoen, vet 

with the Milan practice and Billown’s 

practice vet giving some helpful and timely 

tips for calving. The DEFA Agricultural 

Advisory Service Team of Andy Macdonald 

and Chris Kneale then went on to cover a 

wide range of practical topics, designed to 

help improve the technical and financial 

performance of beef herds. These were 

centred around: 

- how to improve the weights and 

grades of finishing cattle through 

better breeding, better feeding, and 

better herd management 

- how to increase the number and weight 

of calves weaned each year through 

better knowledge and management of 

the breeding herd 

Chris Kneale, Agricultural Adviser, presenting at the 

Beef Focus Event 

- how to get better returns by better 

matching the needs of the marketplace 

- how to get the information needed to 

inform management decisions, and 

monitor progress 

Perhaps the most important question of all 

for all beef producers is knowing where you 

stand today; understanding how much you 

can influence your own situation, through 

the things that you can change, and have 

control over, as opposed to the things that 

can cause concern but ultimately we can do 

little to influence. 

The slides from the event can be found at 

http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/daff/Agr 

icultural_Services/advisory_service/d 

efaagriculturaladvisoryservice.ppt 

DEFA’s Agricultural Advisory Service is on 

hand to provide you and your business with 

independent, free and completely 

confidential advice about any part of your 

agricultural business. If you require any 

further information about the Beef Focus 

Event at Billown - Knowing more about 

your own costs of production; Measuring 

and improving Suckler Cow fertility; 

Improving margins through breeding; 

Improving margins through feeding, or any 

other aspect of agricultural advice, please 

contact Andy Macdonald or Chris Kneale at 

DEFA on 685835. 

Wheat Growers of the Island Unite! By Andrew Macdonald, SAC Senior Agricultural Adviser 

As a distinct and literal departure from the 

usual agronomy updates, earlier this year 

a group of milling wheat growers from the 

Isle of Man travelled to Lincolnshire, one 

of the UK’s main arable areas in a trip 

organised by Laxey Glen Mills and funded 

by DEFA, Laxey Glen Mills and the 

growers themselves. Although somewhat 

dogged by delays and rescheduled flights, 

the group managed to pack in a wide 

variety of topics and speakers during their 

short trip. 

Stuart McKenzie of the Woldmarsh buying 

group explained the history and operation 

of the group, which negotiated bulk 

discounts for all of their members on 

inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, 

agrochemicals, and perhaps slightly less 

expectedly other items such as machinery, 

fuel and electricity. 

This was followed by a presentation by 

Andrew Ward of Ward Cultivation 

Solutions, a farmer, contractor, consultant 

and avid proponent of “intelligent” 

cultivations, as well as winner of the 

Farmer’s Weekly “Arable Farmer of the 

Year” award in 2008. Mr Ward explained 

that there were a lot of misconceptions 

about “min-till” type cultivations, where 

applied incorrectly, it was costly both in 

yield and financial terms. He advised that 

ensuring that the soil structure and 

drainage was well looked after was 

essential, and backed up his claims with 

very impressive 5 year average yields for 

wheat across the 1650 acres of land that 

he farmed. The group were also very 

impressed by Mr Ward’s knowledge of his 

own costs of production and margins from 

each part of the business, as well as 

being advised on how low work rates on 

machines increased their relative costs per 

hour and per acre very significantly. 

Finally, in the dying daylight hours the 

group went out to look at some wheat 

crops with agronomist Sean Sparling, 

discussing various approaches to agronomy 

for the season, including the relative merits 

of the latest generation of fungicides and 

their reported yield benefits. 

The trip was rounded off with an impromptu 

discussion session at Leeds airport on how 

the growers as individuals or as a group, 

could develop their own businesses and the 

cereal sector in the island through closer 

and co-operative working. 


7 

Agri-Environment Consultation results 

By Peter McEvoy, Biodiversity Officer, Agricultural Directorate 

At the time of writing the Agri- 

Environment consultation has just closed 

with 40 responses received. Responses 

have included a number of detailed letters 

and 25 responses to the questionnaire. 

Some individuals and organisations have 

chosen to respond with the pro-forma 

questionnaire and a more detailed letter. 

Due to the anonymous nature of the 

questionnaire these duplications cannot be 

identified. Therefore, the two forms of 

responses will be treated separately to 

prevent double-counting of responses. 

Detailed responses that have been 

received include the Manx National 

Farmers Union, Manx Birdlife/RSPB, Manx 

National Heritage, Manx Wildlife Trust, 

Friends of the Earth, a number of 

Government Departments and local 

commissioners as well individuals from 

farming and non-farming backgrounds. 

A detailed analysis of these responses has 

not yet been completed but will appear on 

the Government consultations website in 

due course. However, a brief look at the 

questionnaire gives a good summary of 

the responses: 

Twelve of the 25 responses are from 

farmers in the current Scheme, with only 

1 respondent identifying themselves as a 

non-Agri-Environment Scheme farmer. The 

majority of the remainder of responses 

are made up of organisations and a few 

non-farming individuals. 

The questionnaire returns show strong 

agreement with the principle of continuing 

to fund an Agri-Environment Scheme with 

24/25 responses in favour. Of these 24 

respondents, ten desired the Scheme to 

retain its current format and the other 14 

in favour of reducing the available 

management options and increasing the 

number of participants. Perhaps 

unsurprisingly those in favour of an 

unchanged Scheme are all farmers in the 

current Scheme. 

Following the publication of the Summary 

the next stage will be to provide detailed 

options for the future. If any changes are 

to be implemented these will then have to 

go to Tynwald for approval. 

For further information on the Agri- 

Environment Scheme please contact me: 

Peter.McEvoy@gov.im or telephone 

695742. 

Wool returns show a marked improvement 

By Andrew Willoughby, Field Officer 

Wool price for 2010 compared with 2009 clip price 

Grade Attained Last year’s This year’s Payment 

Price p per kg 

Rate p per kg 

FW 2 Ewes 43 155 

FW 2 Hogs 46 159 

FW 5 Ewes 42 166 

FW 2 Heavy 41 148 

Kear 18 95 

Loaghtan 145 165 

Xbred Fine 1 38 154 

Xbred Heavy 35 140 

B Face No. 2 29 131 

B Face Grey 16 86 

Fine Broken 7 88 

Scotch Broken 5 88 

Dark 23 88 

Winter Clip 39 171 

Blue Faced Leicester 118 276 

The Wool Order is about to be made and 

will set the price for each grade of wool 

sold by DEFA on behalf of Manx producers 

through the Bradford wool auctions. Prices 

for the 2010 clip have improved significantly 

after many years of depressed prices. The 

reason given for the recent improvement is 

that less wool is available for sale and this 

has driven up the price. The contraction of 

the UK national sheep flock and reduced 

wool imports from Australia and New 

Zealand as their wool is sold into the 

emerging markets of India and China has 

contributed largely to the improved returns. 

From left to right: Martin Moore, Beaky Leece and 

Sammy Teare 

Over 133 tonnes of wool were sold this year 

compared with 131 tonnes from the 2009 clip. 

The prices for the Wool Order are 

determined by taking the average price 

for each grade of wool sold at the three 

sales we submitted wool to. From this 

figure an equivalent handling charge 

made by British wool is deducted to give 

the price the producer receives. 

From this point on, DEFA will no longer 

make this deduction but will replace it 

with a DEFA handling charge which will be 

based on actual costs incurred with 

grading and marketing your wool. 

Wool Control will open at the start of 

September – details will be sent via farm text.

8 

Get Business Incubator (BIC) help with your 

delicious business idea By Kate Lord, Business Incubator Manager 

Business Incubation can help local 

innovative food producers to develop their 

business ideas especially at a time when 

communities favour locally sourced foods 

with a trusted story behind them. 

Kate Lord, Incubator Manager explains “You 

don’t have to look far for inspirational 

examples of individuals who have brought 

innovative food products to market that 

have turned out to be high growth. Look 

at Levi Roots’ Reggae Reggae sauce or 

Kirsty Henshaw of Worthenshaws Freedom. 

The young female entrepreneur with no 

prior business experience developed dairy 

free frozen desserts and won investment 

from Dragons Den. Innocent Smoothies 

started very small and got investment of 

£30m from Coca-Cola in 2009. Locally, we 

have success stories too. The Apple 

Orphanage, Cocoa Red, The Original Manx 

Fudge Factory and Ellerslie Rapeseed Oil 

are all great examples. 

These inspirational stories of achievement 

show that people of all backgrounds can 

achieve success as food producers, with 

the right focus, support and drive. We’d 

like to help more of our emerging local 

food producer businesses through the Isle 

of Man Business Incubator.” 

So what is business incubation? 

Business incubation is a business 

development process designed to 

accelerate and support the successful 

growth of early stage ventures. The Isle 

of Man Business Incubator (BIC) is 

supported by the Isle of Man Government 

Department of Economic Development to 

assist Manx start up businesses to 

research, set up and grow. 

What sort of business does BIC assist? 

BIC’s primary focus is to support ventures 

with high growth potential. This means 

supporting entrepreneurs whose business 

aims to create jobs, and aspires to serve 

markets beyond the Isle of Man (exporting). 

Additionally, business incubation is used in 

small communities to promote local sourcing 

(import replacement), diversify the economy, 

drive regeneration and support innovation. 

In short, BIC selects clients that are doing 

something innovative in one way or another, 

and have an appetite for growth. Many of 

our clients are technology or knowledge 

based companies. 

How does BIC help businesses? 

Support is flexible and tailored, depending on 

needs. It can range from help with research, 

idea validation, product development, 

business planning and marketing to providing 

mentorship and a place to work from. A key 

benefit accessed by incubator clients is the 

wealth of contacts and experts the incubator 

2011 Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival 

By Kim Etherton, Project Officer (Local Food Marketing) 

can provide. For 

example, we work 

closely with the 

Chamber of Commerce and have good 

connections with many local service providers 

who are keen to help start ups. BIC helps 

guide entrepreneurs through the range of 

help available. 

What sort of food, agriculture or 

environmental industry business 

may be assisted by Isle of Man 

Business Incubator? 

BIC looks to help pre-start up or early 

stage businesses (less than 18 months 

old) with its Get Going Programme, which 

is free upon successful application. 

Support can be relevant to: 

- people planning or researching a 

business idea, product or invention 

- those starting a business 

- existing businesses planning a 

spin-out operation 

- existing businesses looking for a new 

entrepreneurial team to take the 

business forward (aiding with 

succession issues in family business) 

- people looking to get involved in a new 

venture, but not sure where to start. 

To find out more or apply online visit 

www.iombic.im or call 01624 647065 

Plans are well underway for the Island’s 

third Food & Drink Festival on 24th & 25th 

September at the Nunnery gardens of the 

Isle of Man International Business School, 

Douglas. Chef James Martin of BBC 1’s 

Saturday Kitchen and Strictly Come Dancing 

fame will be on hand on the 25th, giving 

cookery demonstrations, signing copies of 

his new book and touring the Festival. 

The Festival’s Gold sponsor for the second 

year is Manx Gas which will also supply the 

cookers being used in the Manx Food Theatre. 

Applications to exhibit at the Festival or 

provide catering are rolling in, so there 

will be plenty for people to taste, buy and 

see. The planning committee of past 

exhibitors and DEFA staff are working on 

loads of new ideas to make this a really 

exciting Festival - one marquee will be 

devoted to free “hands on” activities for 

children run by the Living Hope 

Community Church and there will be a 

variety of Manx brews for adults to enjoy. 

Applications for 

the annual “I Love 

Manx” cooking 

competitions will 

be launched soon 

– one for best 

family cook and 

Celebrity Chef James Martin 

the other for 

professional chefs - and their finals will be 

held at the Festival. Why not have a go 

yourself and demonstrate not just your skill, 

but the fabulous meals which can be 

created from fresh, local ingredients? For 

up to date news of Festival activities, go to 

https://www.gov.im/defa - it will be 

regularly uploaded as ideas are finalised. 


9 

Threat to Island’s Trees from Citrus Longhorn Beetle 

By Nigel Taylor, Forestry Directorate 

The Department is asking members of the 

public and the horticultural trade to look out 

for the beetle (Anoplophora chinensis), 

which has been moving around the world in 

ornamental trees imported from Asia. 

The beetle is a non-native pest that can 

be extremely damaging to broadleaf trees 

and shrubs (particularly Japanese maple) 

and poses a serious risk to horticulture, 

forestry and native trees. In Europe, 

outbreaks have led to the destruction of 

thousands of mature trees. 

In the UK, the Plant Health and Seeds 

Inspectorate carries out inspections of all 

imports from outside the UK. Although the 

adult citrus beetle is large and relatively 

easy to detect, the larva is not, as it lives 

and feeds inside the host, typically for one 

to two years across its native range (Asia) 

and possibly for as much as four years in 

climates such as the UK and the Isle of 

Man. This makes it very difficult to detect 

the pest in larval form and could result in 

host plants being sold on before the 

presence of the pest is detected. 

The beetles are most active in July and 

August having emerged in May and June. 

Adult beetles are large and black with 

variable white markings on bodies of 

around 2 cm to 4 cm long. Particularly 

distinctive are their antennae, which are 

up to 2 times body length and are black 

with white/light blue bands. The larval 

stage of the life cycle is the most 

damaging. The larva feeds internally on 

the pith and vascular systems of the lower 

trunk and root of a tree or shrub. The 

tunnels created by the feeding larvae 

leaves the trees susceptible to disease 

and wind damage. The adults can cause 

more limited damage by feeding on 

foliage and eating young bark. 

For further information or to report any 

sightings, contact the Forestry, Amenity 

and Lands Directorate at St John’s, 

telephone 801263, email 

forestry@gov.im. 

The Citrus Longhorn Beetle 

The Isle of Man Woodland Trust Mrs V Barnett, Director, Isle of Man Woodland Trust 

We would like to work with farmers and 

landholders in the Isle of Man in creating 

areas of new woodland along field 

margins, field corners, or on other pieces 

of land. Our aims are to provide wildlife 

corridors for birds and insects, as well as 

enhancing the beauty of the Island and 

making a significant contribution to carbon 

capture for its future. 

Small areas of new woodland can make a 

real difference to the effects of climate 

change: for each acre planted, 190 tonnes 

of carbon dioxide will eventually be 

captured. Last year we planted 

approximately 800 trees at various sites on 

the Island. This year we hope to do more, 

because every five hundred trees we plant 

will capture one tonne of carbon dioxide 

each year. Bare figures are impressive, but 

do not illuminate the added benefits of an 

increasingly beautiful landscape for our 

children and grand-children. 

If you have a corner of a field, or an area 

of land which you would like to have 

planted with young trees, we are able to 

provide the trees and volunteers to plant 

them. All we ask is that you make the 

area stock-proof for the first ten years of 

the young trees’ life. A donation towards 

the cost of the trees would be most 

welcome, but is not obligatory. 

Newly planted trees 

As farmers and landowners, you will 

already be aware of the value of wildlife 

corridors and woodland habitat for 

increasing the biodiversity and health of 

the land. Not only do they provide food 

and protection for insects and birds, but 

they also provide a safe environment 

for pollinating and beneficial insects, 

which are so important in the growing 

of food crops. 

5 years after planting 

If you would like to take up this offer to 

have trees planted, could you please 

contact Mrs. V. Barnett, Telephone: 

843726 or e-mail: barnett@manx.net 

web: isleofmanwoodlandtrust.com

10 

Changes in DEFA 

Jo Brew – promotion 

The Department is pleased to announce 

that Jo Brew has been appointed as ‘Field 

Services Delivery Manager’ within the 

Agriculture Directorate. Jo’s promotion into 

this position follows the departure of 

Andrew MacLeod last year and the 

restructuring of Agriculture Division and 

Agriculture Services Division into one 

Directorate. Grateful thanks are given to 

John Harrison for acting-up in this role for 

the last six months, ensuring the successful 

completion of the CCS for 2010/11. 

Many within the farming world will have dealt 

with Jo through cattle passports, or met her 

on farm during dipping or testing visits. 

Jo’s new role includes the co-ordination 

of the ‘field services’ such as the 

Countryside Care Scheme, CIIs, plant 

health, statutory testing, imports/exports 

and the management of the Field Services 

Delivery team. 

Prior to her role in Government, Jo was a 

veterinary nurse at Stuart Angus’ Ramsey 

practice before studying at Harper Adams, 

where she obtained a first class BSc 

(Hons) Agriculture with Marketing. 

After graduation, she then joined the 

DAFF team, manning the ports during the 

FMD outbreak of 2001, going on to run 

the Cattle Passport Centre, before taking 

up the position of Animal Health Officer in 

2002. Much of her role included managing 

the technical admin team, co-ordinating 

the cattle identification inspections, as 

well as many on-farm visits, developing 

the Agriculture Directorate’s area of the 

government web site at www.gov.im/defa 

and hassling Government Vets. 

Jo is Manx born and bred and lives in the 

North of the Island near Andreas. Jo met her 

partner Tim during her placement year at 

Genus in Crewe and he now works for PDMS, 

a computer software company in Douglas. Jo 

is a member of the Lady Farmers and a 

committee member for Andreas Produce 

Show. Any spare time is swallowed up with 

dogs, crosswords and horses! 

Farewell to Mike Caley 

Mike joined DAFF in 1992 after 3 years at 

Harper Adams Agricultural College and a 

spell spent working in Australia. His 

association with the Department went back 

further as he spent his pre college year 

working as a student at Knockaloe under 

John Bregazzi. Initially working for Dudley 

Peck, Mike’s early years were taken up with 

the Cereal Intervention Scheme and the 

Farm Accounts Scheme, which was an 

attempt to bench mark Manx farms against 

equivalent sized farms with similar 

enterprises in south west Scotland. 

A practical chap, who due to the ever 

changing nature of the job, was able to 

turn his skills to many areas in his 19 

years with the Department. Some of 

these have included Cereal Intervention 

Officer, Hill Sheep Inspector, milk recorder, 

Plant Health Officer, Sire Improvement 

Scheme Inspector, Potato Inspector and 

latterly Cross Compliance Inspector. 

Mike’s affection for Knockaloe, coupled 

with his long standing involvement, 

latterly overseeing the farm and improving 

the standard and performance of the 

stock there, was evidenced by the positive 

comments received and prices attained at 

the dispersal sale in 2010. 

Mike has moved on to become Assistant 

General Manager of IOM Farmers Ltd where 

we wish him well. Outside of work, he 

remains involved with Vagabonds Rugby 

Club where he has had much to do with 

the creation of the new pitches and club 

house facilities at Ballafletcher, Braddan. 

Dates for your diary 

Manx produce can be found at the following events: 

June 

Laa Columb Killey – 23rd June at 3pm 

Opposite Ballabeg Chapel - Contact: 

Shirley Strathdee Tel: 834692 

July 

Queenie Festival – 2nd and 3rd July 

from 11am to 5pm 

Port St Mary - Contact: Tim Croft, 

Tel: 834494 or email: 

timcroft@islandseafare.co.uk 

Web: www.queeniefestival.com 

Southern Agricultural Show – 

30th July 10am to 5pm and 31st July 

11.30am to 4 pm 

Great Meadow, Castletown - Contact: 

Sarah Comish 

Tel: 494497 Email sdas@manx.net 


11 

David Ronan moving on 

David Ronan joined the Department 

almost five years ago at a time when it 

was embarking upon a period of 

significant change. Chief Executive Tony 

Warren, and his Deputy Sylvia Callister, 

were both about to retire and Colin 

Kniveton was about to be appointed as 

Tony's successor. 

"The Department has witnessed 

considerable change in the last few years 

which the staff have coped with 

remarkably well. Each area of the 

organisation has seen improvement 

whether it be in legislation changes, 

introduction of improved working 

practices, realignment of scope of the 

services provided or more effective use of 

resources. The move to St John's has 

been particularly close to my heart and I'd 

like to thank everybody who helped make 

that such a success. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with 

DAFF and more recently DEFA. Up to a 

few weeks ago I couldn't have imagined 

working anywhere other than Thie Slieau 

Whallian. But opportunities present 

themselves from time to time and the 

opportunity at the Department of 

Economic Development as Deputy Chief 

Executive was too exciting to ignore. I've 

made many good friends during my time 

with the Department and hope to keep in 

touch either through work or socially" 

Paul Reid moves to pastures new 

Paul Reid started with the Department in 

the middle of all the changes to the current 

support system as a Senior Business 

Analyst. Along with overseeing the previous 

support schemes, his major task was to 

assist in the development of the 

Countryside Care Scheme and ensure that 

the processes developed to administer it 

were robust, fair, consistent and complied 

with Government regulations. This was of 

critical importance to the success of the 

eventually agreed scheme. 

Not a single payment deadline has been 

missed in the first two years and there have 

been no major problems with any individual 

payment. Considering the complexities of 

the inspection process and subsequent 

appeals and reduction calculations together 

with the requirement that the whole budget 

is distributed, meaning an error in one 

payment leads to an error in every payment, 

this is a massively important achievement. 

The success of CCS delivery is largely due to 

the robust processes that Paul developed 

and that continue to be used. 

Paul’s integrity, attention to detail and affable 

nature will be greatly missed by all his 

former colleagues in the Department (not to 

mention his footballing skills and music 

knowledge) and his departure is a great loss. 

However, we are sure that IOM Meats will 

benefit greatly from his experience and 

aforementioned skills and attributes. We wish 

him every success in the future. 

August 

Sulby Horticultural Show – 

6th August at 1.30pm 

Sulby Community Hall - Contact: 

Ian Corkill Tel: 897412 or email 

iancorkill@manx.net 

Royal Manx Agricultural Show – 

12th and 13th August from 9am to 5pm 

Knockaloe - Contact: Christine Pain, 

Tel: 801850 Email: royalmanx@manx.net 

Kirk Michael Horticultural Show – 

18th August at 2pm Auction at 7.30pm 

Kirk Michael School - Contact: David Foss 

Tel: 878602 email 

davidfoss07@hotmail.com 

Ramsey Horticultural Society Show – 

27th August at 1.30pm 

Contact: Diana Hull Tel: 812533 email 

ramseyhorticulturalsociety@manx.net 

Southern Gardeners Association 

Show – 27th and 28th August at 2pm 

Morton Hall, Castletown - Contact: 

Bill Mizen Tel: 834723

12 

Market Trends 

The graphical representation below for red 

meat contains the price offered by Isle of 

Man Meats compared against the EBLEX 

live-weight price converted into a dead 

weight price. The conversion factors are 

the same that IoM Meat utilises – 55% for 

cattle and 47% for Lamb. Pig prices are 

IoM Meat price against the DAPP price and 

Milk price is IoM Creamery price compared 

against the UK average and Northern 

Ireland Average as published by Dairy Co. 

Cattle. UK live-weight prices have 

continued to increase over the first quarter 

of the year. There was a blip in prices 

during April but this now appears to be 

recovering. UK prices continue to be well 

ahead of last year’s. As the Meat Plant has 

recently linked its beef price to the UK’s 

live-weight auction market, IoM prices rose 

sharply at the end of March to align with 

UK values. This has resulted in Manx prices 

considerably higher compared to the 

previous year. Looking forward, UK prices 

are expected to remain firm. Supplies are 

limited as the good spring weather has 

seen cattle turned-out to grass rather than 

being finished. High cereals prices are 

reducing average carcase weights as 

producers try and finish cattle quicker. High 

feed costs have also seen the number of 

dairy bull calves reared reduced. These 

factors are expected to continue through 

into the 2nd half of the year. Export 

demand is expected to remain competitive, 

whilst imports are projected to be lower in 

This independent commentary has been supplied by Richard King, Business Research Consultant from Andersons. 

Details of how the graphs have been calculated can be found at www.gov.im/defa/News/agricultual.xml 

2011 due to reduced production in some of 

the main competitor countries. Domestic 

retail sales of beef have held up as 

supermarkets have continued discounting, 

but this is causing processors margins to 

come under significant pressure. 

Lamb. The UK lamb price has continued to 

increase since the turn of the year. Demand, 

both domestically and from the Continent 

saw prices really take off in March and April 

helped by a shortage of imports from New 

Zealand. IoM prices, now linked to the UK 

live-weight price, have seen a similar 

improvement taking prices considerably 

higher than those recorded at the same time 

last year. Looking forward, strong prices 

should be maintained, but further increases 

may be limited. Consumption data indicates 

that there is consumer resistance to price 

increase; UK lamb consumption was down 

10% in 2010. The fine spring should have 

also seen a good UK lamb crop. On the 

other hand, tight supplies of lamb globally, 

particularly from New Zealand, are expected 

to help maintain prices. 

Pigs. Following a surge in March, IoM pig 

prices have continued increasing steadily 

and are now above last year’s levels. In the 

UK the DAPP has increased over the last 

two months, even so the IoM premium over 

the UK DAPP has continued to widen since 

the turn of the year. Despite the rise in UK 

prices, they still remain considerably below 

the cost of production; BPEX estimates that 

this averaged 164p per kg May. The grain 

price is 

expected to 

remain high throughout 2011 and therefore 

an increase in price is vital for producers to 

return to profitability. The EU average pig 

price has increased during the first quarter 

of 2011 which has seen the premium that 

the UK normally holds over this eroded. If 

the premium returns a normal level prices 

could see a further increase. However, any 

increases are expected to be slow. 

Milk. The contract price increases seen 

since the start of the year have seen the 

UK average milk price continue its upwards 

trend through February and March – a time 

of year when it usually drops due to the 

spring flush. The increases in farmgate milk 

prices are being driven by the continued 

strength of world commodity markets. 

Although values have plateaued somewhat 

in recent weeks, prices for products such as 

milk powders remain at historically high 

levels. The fact that prices have been 

maintained during the peak production 

period for the northern hemisphere gives 

some optimism that markets will remain 

firm for the rest of the year. The strength of 

the commodity sector is illustrated by the 

Northern Ireland price which is linked 

closely to this market. It remains above 

both the Manx and UK prices which have 

been slower to react. Although Manx prices 

are well above the levels seen 12 months 

ago, producers are having to contend with 

much higher production costs. 

Steer R3 UK LW v IoM 

Lamb UK UL LW v IoM 

Pigs IoM c DAPP 

Milk IoM v UK & NI 

Contact Information 

Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS 

Telephone: 685835 Fax: 685851 e-mail: defa@gov.im Web: www.gov.im/defa

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